Lecture on the Poem 'Trang Giang'

Topic: Discuss and analyze the poem 'Trang Giang' by Huy Can, highlighting its outstanding features in terms of content and artistry.

Lecture on the Poem 'Trang Giang'

Tip: Techniques for analyzing poems and verses to achieve high scores

I. Outline Lecture on the Poem 'Trang Giang' by Huy Can

1. Introduction

Brief Introduction to Huy Can and the poem 'Trang Giang.'

2. Main Body

- Composition time: 1940
- Main theme: Sorrow, reflections on the humble, uncertain fate of human existence amidst the vast land and sky.
- The poem opens up a vast, lengthy space of sky and river --> Highlighting the solitude, contemplation of human beings.

- Natural images: Rivers, clouds:
+ 'Trang Giang' is a long river, an endless river with rolling waves.
+ The 4/3 poetic rhythm carries a slow, melancholic tone with the repeated sound of 'dip dip' depicting sorrow.

- Human sorrow:
+ 'The boat sails along parallel waters', in the vast expanse of clouds, amidst the vastness of waves, the boat becomes singularly lonely.
+ The river is not just a watercourse, but also carries the deep sadness of the sincere character.
--> Taking sorrow as the dominant spirit, Huy Can consistently borrows from nature, speaking of nature's sorrow or expressing the sorrow within his own heart.
+ The image of 'a dry piece of wood' suggests the smallness, uncertainty in the flow of human life.
+ Sorrow rises to the 'brink' and then overflows into the 'long river, wide sky.'
+ The image of drifting duckweed symbolizes the fate of the poet in contemporary society, the destiny of an intellectual.+ The deep longing for the homeland of a distant soul with a sensitive spirit.

3. Conclusion

General conclusion

II. Sample essay analyzing the poem 'Trang Giang'

Huy Can - a voice steeped in sorrows, a wandering soul, sensitive to every subtle change in nature. Mentioning Huy Can is recalling the pre-1945 New Poetry era, where each individual's self was considered the most refined object, and his poetry always expressed a unique personal spirit and viewpoint that was hard to reconcile. In 'Trang Giang,' every word is coated by Huy Can with poignant sorrow, vastness of the universe. The elusive and shapeless sadness of a soul easily moved by landscapes, a heart yearning for love and harmony is portrayed.

Before the August Revolution in 1945, New Poetry was regarded as the 'bedside book' of contemporary young men and women, writing about love, dilemmas, and troubles in relationships. Therefore, the dominant spirit in the poems of this era is sadness, solitude, and loneliness. The literary group 'Self-Reliance Literary Society,' including seasoned writers like Huy Can, Xuan Dieu, Che Lan Vien,... created a period of romantic, self-loving poetry. 'Trang Giang' is a self-narrative about the poignant, painful essence of a small self amidst the vast expanse of sky and earth. Humans feel small, alone in boundless space. Born in 1940 in the collection 'Sacred Fire,' this work is considered the piece that elevated Huy Can to a respected position in the New Poetry movement. Taking a viewpoint from the southern bank of the Red River, amidst the endless river, the human heart evokes a longing for the humble, uncertain fate amidst the vast land and sky.

The poem begins with an opening verse:
Musing under the vast sky, remembering the long river

Eliciting a 'broad,' 'long' space of sky and river, the author wants to emphasize the loneliness of the human subject, the 'musing' amidst the vast expanse of land and sky. The sky, though vast, is mournful, vast, and the river, though long, is desolate to the point of heartbreak. Perhaps, at that time, the era was approaching the twilight with the lamplight of the evening, and people were alone, bewildered in the vast space of both sky and land. The poet's melancholy floats along the calm water under the river, amidst the clouds drifting in the boundless sky.

Infusing that sorrow into every breath, the poem begins with simple punctuation about nature:

Waves ripple, Trang Giang mourns ceaselessly
The boat glides along the calm parallel waters

'Trang Giang' is a long river, an endless river with rolling waves. The 4/3 poetic rhythm carries a slow, melancholic tone with the repeated sound of 'dip dip' describing sorrow. Each wave on the water's surface creates a dynamic verse. The river seems to expand according to the author's vision. The verse is never still; the movement of nature is captured entirely in the words. The ancients had a saying: 'Those in sorrow seldom find joy.' The river is not merely a watercourse; it also carries the melancholy of the sincere character. The river, wide and long, or the sorrow, keeps widening. 'The boat glides along the calm parallel waters,' in the lofty expanse of clouds, amidst the vastness of waves, the boat becomes singularly lonely. The boat flows with the water, the boat is indefinite, letting the waves push it away. It is not just 'Trang Giang,' the long river, but also 'parallel,' the streams that connect endlessly to the horizon. The two phrases 'dip dip' and 'parallel' create a resonant tone, like the sound echoing between mountains and forests, making the poem longer, deeper, echoing a heartfelt sorrow in the reader's heart.

Boats return, a hundred paths filled with sorrow;
A piece of dry wood drifts through several streams.

Making sorrow the predominant theme, Huy Can always borrows from nature, speaking of nature's sorrow or expressing his own sorrow within. 'Boats return, a hundred paths filled with sorrow,' the boat's shadow barely appears and disappears again, the 'sorrowful' water, the sad water, either the poet is sad or the water is. The boat has gone, the 'sorrow of a hundred paths' seems somewhat vague, unfounded. The boat that keeps going and never reaches the shore, but the water still carries memories, sadness, and longing. On that calm water surface, the image of 'a piece of dry wood' drifts aimlessly, 'drifts through several streams' amidst the vast current. Dynamic images and the inversion of the phrase 'a piece of dry wood' to 'wood a dry branch' evoke loneliness and melancholy. Waves keep rolling, water remains indifferent, only a small, dry branch, coldly drifting along the water, like the sigh of a love-struck person, lonely, desolate, drifting. All four lines depict dynamic water and sky, but those sounds are not enough to fill the emptiness within. The conclusion is still a sense of being lost, lonely, drifting with the water to an indefinite place.

Trang Giang is a multidimensional painting depicting the natural scenery of the riverbank in a melancholic twilight. Starting with the blinded view of the river and sky, Huy Can begins with punctuation about trees, scenery along the riverbank:

Idle sands, a small islet, the wind whispers;
Where is the distant village, the market fades in the evening.
Sun descends, sky rises, deeply poignant,
The river long, sky vast, a lonely quay.

Consecutive phrases like 'idle sands,' 'whispers of the wind' describe scattered small sandbanks along the river. The author's carefully chosen words make the sparse and sparse landscape stand out. The small sands are not just small, but also 'idle,' each breeze is 'whispers,' creating a sense of loneliness, pity. Under the gaze of a poet's soul, everything becomes desolate amidst the vast sky and long river. Describing the riverbank scene, the author does not mention fertile, rich-colored alluvial soil or the shadows of people living. In his view, there are only small sandbanks, gentle winds, a drifting dry branch, and more. The scenery intertwines, blending into the poet's sadness. Occasionally, the sound of 'the distant village, the market fades in the evening' appears. The word 'where' suggests an ambiguity, a directionless vagueness. The vibrancy of life is pale, distant. It seems like the landscape is sad enough, miserable enough, then even the daily life of people here is not bustling, lively. In the melancholic evening painting along the Red River, which should be the time of cooking smoke with rising smoke from each meal, here, time and scenery only carry a sense of sadness. The sad melody of the people mingles with the fading sunlight. Unexpectedly, the sound of 'the distant village, the market fades in the evening' emerges. The word 'where' implies an indistinct, directionless feeling. The color of life is faint, distant. It seems like the landscape is sad enough, miserable enough, then even the daily life of people here is not bustling, lively. In the melancholic evening painting along the Red River, which should be the time of cooking smoke with rising smoke from each meal, here, time and scenery only carry a sense of sadness. The sad melody of the people mingles with the fading sunlight.

Sorrow is brought to its climax with two lines:

Sun descends, sky rises, deeply poignant,
The river long, sky vast, a lonely quay.

'Sun descends,' the sun completely sets, replacing the feeble struggle of the sun is a sky veiled, heavy, and oppressive. Sorrow rises to a peak and then overflows into both 'the long river and the vast sky.' Infinity is expanded both in length and width. 'Sun descends, sky rises,' contrasting verbs 'rises' and 'descends' bring movement, the space seems to be stretched. The author doesn't use the common 'high and steep' but instead, it is 'deep and steep.' The poet's perspective doesn't stop at depth or height but also a gaze drawn into the sky to find the bottom between the gradually encroaching space. It seems that wherever the gaze of the sentimental subject goes, the sky will be wider, deeper there. Therefore, the feeling of 'lonely quay' becomes deeper and more profound. In the midst of a long river and vast sky, there is only the quay at the middle, desolate without a soul. The poet's emotional soul also feels deserted and sad due to the absence of the shore. The image of the ferry dock has always been a symbol of departure and separation. Standing in the middle of this evening sky, the loneliness is highlighted even more distinctly.

Gazing far along the long river, what is gained is still the sparseness of creation:

Where do the drifting water lilies go, rows connected,
Vastness without a single ferry crossing.
No bridges evoke any intimacy,
Silently, the green shore meets the golden sand.

Each image appears in the sequence of observation, from the near point in front of the eyes to the panoramic view of the entire river. The clusters of water lilies 'rows connected' suggest congestion, but they 'drift to where,' flow aimlessly, lose direction. The term 'drift' also expresses fluctuation, sinking and floating. Even the means of transportation on the long river today are nowhere to be seen. 'No single ferry crossing,' 'no bridges,' there is no connection to the world from the author's position. Life seems isolated, completely separated where the poet stands. Perhaps, the image of drifting water lilies is the fate of the poet in contemporary society, the destiny of an intellectual who loves nature, loves beauty but cannot determine what they want or need. Amidst the vastness, no bridges, no boats, or any interaction with humanity. The long, wide river, 'the green shore meets the golden sand,' makes the space even more vast and captivating. Readers imagine two streams of thought deep within the author's soul, that Huy Cận yearns for connection with people, yearns for a ferry, a bridge to communicate, to seek harmony, or he has left the hustle and bustle of the outside world to return to this deserted stretch of sand, watching the ferry gradually disappear with regret, clinging. All have created a melancholic, poignant atmosphere enveloping all things.

Writing in the sequence of observing objects, beyond the sky, water, beyond the sandbanks, the poet places his soul on objects moving across the high sky:

Layers of clouds high pile up like silver mountains,
Birds tilt small wings, shadows in the evening glow.

Layers of clouds drift elegantly across the sky, the term 'layers' resonating with 'ripple' creating a sense of accumulation. Time has shifted from noon to evening, and finally, the 'evening glow shadow' follows the hurried wings of birds seeking shelter. The routine of an ordinary day is racing against time. 'Silver mountains' are silver because of mist, with low clouds covering the tops of high mountains. Like a watercolor painting, with clouds, mountains, rivers, and a few small birds hurriedly escaping the night, overlaying loneliness and gloom. A precious word in the scene description, 'pile up like silver mountains,' the term 'pile up' indicates rapid movement. Each cloud wave flies fast, giant clouds stacking, pushing against each other, creating a blurry silver curtain. Before that lonely natural scene, the poet's heart cannot help but exclaim:

The countryside throbs with the river's flow,
Even the sunset smoke longs for home.

The meandering river with waves racing, racing to the end of the sky and earth, only to listen and recognize a different wave sound, the sound of the village. Immerse oneself in nature, let the soul wander with the universe, and finally, Huy Cận gathers his heart, returning to reality in the moment of overlap between day and night. The long river, the 'tràng giang' of the land or the 'tràng giang' of the human heart, the gentle and eternal flow is still the same after thousands of years. The combination of the terms 'ripple,' 'parallel,' 'layers,' and finally 'throbs' suggests continuity, the river still flows like that, the water never returns, only the poet stays here, the indelible heartache for the homeland. 'Sunset smoke' is the kitchen smoke, the meal of grandmother, mother, the days of childhood wandering aimlessly, just waiting for the evening with kitchen smoke, dirty pots. The mood of a distant child is clearly revealed in the poet's psyche, the afternoon, the melancholy twilight that makes the soul unable to avoid memories. Like a sentimental confession, a lingering feeling, the deep affection for the homeland that Huy Cận embeds in his work. So, from the beginning until now, the pervasive sadness over all things is, in essence, the longing for the homeland of a son far from home with a sensitive soul, so that in an evening standing by the Red River, the longing for the homeland is burning in the heart.

With a romantic and sensitive poetic soul, Huy Cận has created an artistic work, poetry with painting, poetry with emotion. Borrowing the sunset scene by the river with the vast land and sky, the author sends in the emotions of a romantic lover. The love for nature, love for the homeland, and the prominent self are highlighted, with a unique writing style, concise yet encompassing. Tràng Giang has elevated Huy Cận to a venerable position in Vietnamese literature in general and the New Poetry era in particular.